A population density map is an important tool for RF planners. However, traditional low-resolution population maps could cause problems for network rollout, densification, and upgrade plans today.
Key takeaways:
Whenever telecom companies plan out new infrastructure installations, the first question has to be: what is the population density in the target area?
Population density informs every subsequent decision – from the size, height, and location of cell towers, to the angle of radio antennas, to base station position, and more. You need to know the number of people who will be spending time in an area, so you can choose the right equipment and install it effectively.
And this is where population density maps are invaluable. Also known as population maps or PopMaps, they provide a visual representation of how many people live, work, or spend time in an area. This information can provide RF planners with a quick method for estimating the appropriate infrastructure required to serve those people.
A population density map illustrates the number of individuals living in (or sometimes working/traveling through) a unit of land area. PopMaps utilize various techniques to display the population of a chosen region, often using color coding (e.g., red for high density, green for low density, yellow for very low density). These maps can be created at any scale, and be tailored to specific requirements. It’s standard to represent population by square kilometer or administrative boundaries (like zip/postal codes). Population is an important dimension of accurate telecom data mapping.
Density mapping can be done in various ways. At LuxCarta, we combine the most recent census data with satellite imagery of settlements to estimate the number of people per square kilometer. This is then made available as a raster that can be downloaded and use in a GIS map.
For many years, telecom firms have used low-resolution population density maps as part of this process. In the early era of cellular telecommunications, this wasn’t a major problem – low-frequency radio waves were transmitted over wide areas. When it came to population density, you only needed to have rough estimates of how many people lived in a place to provide a good level of service.
However, with the emergence of 5G (which uses high-frequency radio waves that can only travel short distances) and the general increase in mobile device usage, RF planners need much more accurate information about where their customers are. Feeding your RF planning tools with high-resolution population density maps allows for much more precise planning.
In the telecom context, a population density map isn’t just about counting heads.
High-resolution population data helps you understand exactly where your potential customers are. These visual representations display the number of people living per unit area, thereby offering insights into where network demand could be highest or where untapped markets may exist.
Population maps are used in a wide variety of ways:
Network Planning and Optimization: Hight population density areas are potential hotspots for network congestion. Identifying these regions helps in pre-emptive network capacity planning and resource allocation.
Estimating Demand: Through these maps, geomarketing teams can identify densely populated areas that are not yet targeted, thereby revealing potential markets.
Unserved Areas Identification: Conversely, low-density areas are often under-served or not served at all. These could provide opportunities to be the first network provider, offering a competitive advantage.
Emerging market expansion: Many markets, particularly in the Global South, continue to experience poor network coverage - particularly away from large cities. Our global population maps allow you to better understand population density in emerging markets - including in places with limited or outdated census data.
Cost efficiency in telecom planning: A high resolution population density map can help you plan more precisely where you will install infrastructure, and estimate how much hardware is needed. This saves money - you only buy the amount of kit you actually need, while also saving your technicians’ time when doing site visits.
5G network planning: Because 5G mmWave signals attenuate over short distances and can be disrupted by various obstacles, you need highly precise data about where your customers are located when deciding on the location of 5G cells. High-resolution population data helps with 5G telecom network optimization.
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Most traditional population density maps break urban areas and rural areas down into units of 1000m x 1000m, indicating the number of people per square kilometer. They’ll typically use a colour spectrum to indicate a higher or lower number of people.
Low-resolution density maps, long used in RF planning tool , are gradually becoming obsolete in the industry for several reasons.
A low-resolution population density map will show how many people live in a square kilometer. But they don’t tell you where people live in that area.
For example, a population maps might tell you that 600 people live in a 1000m x 1000m neighbourhood. However, what it won’t show is that almost all the residential units are clustered in tower blocks on the northern side of the area – the rest is just empty parkland.
Use this population density map. You might buy several base stations for the neighborhood. In fact, only one is necessary. This single station serves the small, populated section.
Skewing perceptions about what kind of equipment is needed and where a low-resolution population density map can do this. For example, population maps of rural areas may indicate that an area has a low population, so a telecom firm might choose to not install new infrastructure there. However, if a village has several hotels and is a popular tourist destination, then the lack of service would be a problem.
In the 5G era, RF planners need to consider the presence of trees, buildings, and bodies of water when choosing the location of base stations – these obstacles are known to attenuate 5G signals.
However, a low-resolution population density map might misrepresent the reality on the ground. In a low-resolution population density map, one square kilometer might be marked in the color red, implying the whole neighborhood has a high population density. However, if there’s a small forest cutting through that neighborhood, that would have a major influence on where you place 5G base stations, but it wouldn’t show up on the PopMap.
On the other hand, a high-resolution population density map (at, for example, 10m resolution) could show in far greater detail where people live at the neighborhood level. If there was a forest cutting through the neighborhood, this area would be represented in white on the raster, showing no-one lives there. This kind of detail can really improve the accuracy of 5G network planning.
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In many emerging countries, incomplete or outdated population data can really hamper telecom infrastructure rollouts. Cities and national governments may lack census information, and there may be limited information about populations living in informal settlements. Low-resolution population maps could mean you miss out entire neighbourhoods that do not appear on ‘official’ maps. On the other hand, high-resolution population data would include those informal settlements, meaning you could plan for them.
In 2020, LuxCarta conducted a research study comparing high-resolution population density maps with low-resolution population maps to investigate how they would affect radio frequency planning. The study compared two population maps at the country-scale.
In the low-resolution map, the country’s population was equally distributed over the entire area. Essentially, 98% of the area covered corresponded with 98% of the population covered.
This population distribution model is, of course, highly unlikely in reality. Using a low-resolution map would suggest that the country’s population is evenly distributed across the territory.
If RF planners were to base their plans on a low-resolution popmap, they would need to distribute cell towers and base stations evenly across the entire territory.
Using LuxCarta’s PopMaps at 10 meter resolution, it becomes clear that only 27% of the country’s territory is populated. This doesn’t mean that the rest of the country doesn’t need to receive coverage (since people travel), but it does help to prioritize where new infrastructure should be installed.
By using a high-resolution population density map, RF planners can install equipment where it’s needed most - and avoid wasting time and money installing it in places it will not be used.
Today’s RF planners need precise, reliable, and accurate information about population density when rolling out telecom infrastructure. And this is where Luxcarta’s RF planning solutions help. Our population density maps offer unrivalled resolution down to 10 metres – making them one hundred times more precise compared with other sources. They are also up-to-date – using the latest satellite images of the planet’s surface to ensure they include new towns and settlements.
Luxcarta employs the latest census data, enhanced with cutting-edge algorithms for accurate projections of population density. Our unique combination of satellite imagery and land use classification allows us to distribute population data realistically, making our maps especially useful for telecom companies.
Using our high resolution 10m x 10m population density maps, you can estimate population density at (or near) the building scale. This means:
To learn how our population density maps can support roll-out, upgrade, and densification projects for your telecom firm, contact us today.